NYT: TV pool to resume coverage of Trump

Major US television networks are preparing to resume joint coverage of events involving US President Donald Trump, The New York Times reports, citing sources.

The report said, earlier, leading broadcasters ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC suspended the television pool.

The move came in response to the Trump administration’s decision to restrict access to the White House for CNN and MSNBC journalists, which many media outlets viewed as a violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution protecting freedom of speech.

According to the report, throughout the past week, the quintet had had suspended the TV pool in an effort to force the administration to reinstate CNN, after Mr. Trump barred its journalists from the White House grounds.

The networks went so far as to refuse to air footage of portions of Mr. Trump’s summit with China’s top leader, Xi Jinping.

“Resuming the TV pool effectively hands Mr. Trump more control over the list of news outlets granted close-up access to many of his events. It also ensures that viewers will receive high-quality broadcast coverage of the president,” the report noted.

Bakhtiyar Abbasov